Interior door unit assembly machine

ABSTRACT

A machine is adapted to assemble and package a pre-hung interior door unit, together with a jamb including a split latch and exterior trim. The machine has an elongated horizontal bed provided with an endless chain for conveying the door and side jamb members past fixed staple guns which staple the trim to their associated jamb members. Lugs on the chain stop the assembly prior to firing the guns. A separate gun drives a temporary staple to hold the two sections of the jamb together. Another gun drives a staple to temporarily hold the door in place so that after it is packaged, the assembly is rigid for shipping, yet easily disassembled as far as needed for installation.

States Patent Lubin, deceased et al.

[54] INTERIOR DOOR UNIT ASSEMBLY MACHINE [73] Assignee: Barker-Lubin Company, Springfield, Ill. by said Stacy [22] Filed: Nov. 19, 1970 21 Appl. No.: 91,135

[52] US. Cl. ..227/7, 227/100, 227/152 [51] Int. Cl. B271 7/06 [58] Field of Search .....144/288 R, 288 C; 227/7, 99,

[451 'Dec.26,1972

Primary Examiner-Granville Y. Custer, Jr. Attorney-Dawson, Tilton, Fallon & Lungmus [5 7 ABSTRACT A machine is adapted to assemble and package a prehung interior door unit, together with a jamb including a split latch and exterior trim. The machine has an elongated horizontal bed provided with an endless chain for conveying the door and side jamb members past fixed staple guns which staple the trim to their associated jamb members. Lugs on the chain stop the assembly prior to firing the guns. A separate gun drives a temporary staple to hold the two sections of the jamb together. Another -gun drives a staple to temporarily hold the door in place so that after it is [56] References cued packaged, the assembly is rigid for shipping, yet easily UNITED STATES PATENTS disassembled as far as needed for'installation.

1,845,105 2 1932 Vande Venter ..227 102 10 Claims, 21 Drawing Figures 56 5g I. F I i .46 65 l iilu n- PAIENTED DEC 2 6 1972 sum 1 or 8 PATENIEUHECZB I972 SHEET 3 0F 8 .e kx \w m fl m M 9% MW R w R hazoeazzaz a; 0mm 0 QM o Q \h x W wmklm. mw \wmw w $1.1]? I 0 O 0 Wm h N 3 w m 0 l R: A Mm O0 Q PATENTED DEC 26 1972 SHEU 6 BF 8 fl cwm Iz/ 2,5 o wifiww- M i jamb.

.'1 INTERIOR DOOR UNIT ASSEMBLY MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a machine for assembling a pre-hung door unit together with its jamb and trim.

In the past, the assembly of pre-hung doors to their jambs has been by hand, although thereare machines for routing the door and jamb for hinges and for routing the door for a door knob and latch.

The present prevailing construction for woodinterior doors includes a jamb 'which is constructed in two side sections adapted to be installed on different sides of a wall defining the doorway. The side sections of the jamb are held together after installation by means of a mortise and tendon construction. Facing or trim members surrounding the door opening are permanently nailed or stapled to their respective halves of the door To install a pre-hung door unit in a wall provided with an opening, the two sections of the jamb, together with their associated trim pieces are first installed from opposite sides of the doorway andthen stapled together along the mortise which is partially defined by the door jamb.

SUMMARY OF THE INVE TION The present invention is adapted to take a door assembly together with its split jamb and trim, and permanently secure the trim to the jamb with staples. The machine includes an elongated horizontal bed provided with an endless chain for conveying the door and side jamb members past fixed staple guns which staple the trim to their associated jambs. During stapling, the split jamb members are under compression by means of side rollers, and the trim pieces are held firmly in place by means of rollers permitting the longitudinal passage of the door assembly.

I In operation, an operator inserts the four side trim pieces in upper and lower sections of the machine, and they extend horizontally. Next, the door with its side split jambs is inserted in the machine, and the operator actuates solenoids which cause pressurized rollers to bear against'the trim pieces to force the split jamb members together. After a short time delay, other rollers are moved into place for holding the lower trim pieces against the bed of the machine. The assembly rests on idler rollers straddling the link chain.

The upper trim pieces are placed in position in the machine and held in place by supporting dogs. An extendible frame is moved to apply pressure by means of contour rollers to the upper split jamb and to force the trim members against the upper jamb. When the door and side jamb members are then placed on the machine, all of the rollers are actuated in sequence to apply suitable pressure to hold the jambs together and to hold the trim pieces against the jambs.

The headers, including a split jamb and first and second side trim pieces are secured to the assembly while thus locked in position prior to starting. The headers are formed on the same machine which is easily converted to form the headers.

The operator then energizes the machine and the door is conveyed longitudinally while disposed in a vertical plane, and as it passes through the machine the trim pieces are permanently stapled to their associated jamb pieces, and the split jamb members are temporarily stapled together. Further, a staple is shot through the latch jamb member to temporarily secure the door in a closed position. H

After theassembly is fabricated, it is automatically conveyed to a packing or cartoning station, and a mechanism is energized for folding cartons about the side jambs and trim pieces to protect them, and all carton pieces are then stapled together for forming a peripheral carton about the frame. 1

' Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment accompanied by the attached drawing wherein identical reference numerals will refer to like parts in the various views.

THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective-view of a pre-hung door and its associated jamb and trim pieces;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the'door of FIG. I on its side and with the trim and jamb pieces in exploded view, illustrating how the machine of the present invention assembles the various pieces for a pre-hung door;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of one upper corner of an assembled frame and door; Y

FIG. 4 is an upper perspective view of a door and split jamb assembly as it comes from a routing machine;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are a composite side elevational view of a machine incorporating the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the bed of the machine of FIGS. SA-SB, taken through the sight line 6-6 of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 7 is an upper perspective view of a mechanism for clamping the upper jamb pieces in the machine of FIGS. SA-SB; g

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken through the sight line 88 of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view taken through the sight line 99 of FIG. 5A;

FIG. I0 illustrates the mechanism for clamping the assembled door into the packaging apparatus;

FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating the assembly f0 receiving the door at the packaging station;

FIGS. 12-16 illustrate the steps taken in packaging a ppe-hung door assembly;

FIGS. 17A and 17B are diagrammatic views of the mechanisms which control operation of the staple guns;

FIG. 18 illustrates an attachment for making headers with the machine; and

FIG. 19 illustrates a header.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION A pre-hung door unit is one in which a manufacturer fits the door to a jamb during fabrication, and supplies the door with its pre-fitted jamb. When the jamb is installed in a wall opening, the tolerances have already been set so the door is easily opened and closed without having to hand work it any further. Normally, the doors intended for interior use on a building are made of soft wood, and a pre-hung door unit will include hinges. Such a unit is shownupright in FIG. I, wherein 10 generally designates a door and 11 designates a peripheral jamb for'the door adapted to be installed into a wall opening.

FIG. 2 shows portions of the pre-hung door assembly of FIG. 1 with various elements inexploded relation. The door of FIG. 2 is shown resting on its side, and it will be observed here that in assembling the various elements according to the present invention, the door and its associated jamb members are moved along the direction of elongation of the door 10 whileit is resting on its hinge side and disposed in a vertical plane. The two sides of the door are usually distinguished by referring to a hinge side (meaning the side at which the door is hinged to the jamb) and a latch side (meaning the side at which the door is latched to the jamb). Thus, although they are not shown in FIG. 2, the hinges for that'assembly would be toward the bottom of the door 10 and the latch hole would be toward the top.

A hinge jamb comprises a male member 12 and a female member 13. The female member defines a mortise 14 for receiving a tendon 15 on the male member .12. Integral with the female hinge jamb 13 is an inwardly projecting rib 16 against which the door butts when closed. The latch jamb similarly includes a male member 17 and a female member 18 adapted to be mortised together. Similarly, the top or header of the jamb is provided with a male and a female portion adapted to be mortised together (see FlG.'l9).

A first trim piece 20 is secured to the male portion 12 of the hinge jamb. A second side trim piece 21 is secured to the male portion 17 of the latch jamb, and an upper trim piece 22 is similarly secured to the male portion of the upper jamb (which is not shown in FIG. 2). Similar trim pieces designated 23, 24 and 25 are nailed or stapled respectively to the female portions of the hinge jamb, latch jamb, and header.

According to prevailing construction. techniques, the unit is supplied in two side sections, one including all of the male members of the jamb together with their associated trim members and the other including all of the female jamb members together with their associated trim pieces. The unit is simply installed, then, by placing the two portions of the split jamb and their associated trim pieces into the wall opening and then nailing them permanently together along the mortise.

Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown a detailed view of the hinge jamb and its associated trim pieces in assembled form. The trim piece 20 is stapled as at 26 to the male portion of the hinge jamb, and the trim piece 23 is similarly stapled to the female portion 13 of the hinge jamb. it will be observed that there is a slight relief 27 between the narrow edge of the trim piece 20 and the outer surface of the male portion 12 of the hinge jamb, and the present apparatus preserves this relief in assembling the door frame.

Machines are commercially available fro forming the individual jamb members and for forming the trim pieces within the required tolerances. Further, these machines route the female portion of the latch jamb as well as one edge of the door for hinges; and they further route the door for the latch plunger and door knob (see numeral 30 in FIG. 4). The pieces are then conveyed to a table generally designated 30a prior to placing them in the assembly machine. As illustrated, the female portion 13 of the hinge jamb will already have been secured by means of hinges 31 to the hinge edge of the door 10.

20 v the bed 39 and travels parallel to the bed. The chain 40 Turning now to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the door assembly apparatus is seen in elevation, and the entire machine has been divided into the separate left and right side figures for clarity. The pre-assembly table 30a is located to the left of the apparatus shown in H6. 5A, and the various elements are placed in the machine at a loading station generally designated by reference numeral 33 from which the door, split. jamb, and facing are conveyed through a stapling station generally designated 34 and thence to a packaging or cartoning station generally designated 35 in FIG. 5B.

The machine is mounted on an elongated frame 37 7 link chain 40 is trained around a leftsprocket 41 and a right sprocket 42 (FIG. 58), passing over intermediate sprockets 42a. One of the sprockets42a' is driven. The chain 40 has an upper run 4021 which is located above conveys a door unit being stapling station.

Turning nowlto the left hand portion of FIG. 5A, there is secured'to the frame 37 an upstanding angle member 43 to which there is secured an end plate 44 which extends perpendicular to the plane of the page of FIG. 5A and acts as a reference location for aligning the jamb members, trim pieces and door prior to stapling. The angle member 43 and its associated end plate 44 are adjustably mounted by means of a screw and crank mechanism (not shown) to the frame 37 to permit the apparatus to be adjusted for doors and jambs of different heights and widths.

Secured to the chain 40 at the left end of the run 40a is a foot member 45 which is adapted to pass through an opening 44a in the end plate 44 and engage a door to move the doorand its associated frame to the right when the sprocket 42 is driven to move the chain. The outline of a door and the side jambs is designated by the chain line 46, and it can be seen to rest on idler rollers 47 which are spaced longitudinally of the bed 39 and secured thereto by means of blocks 48. The rollers 47 are provided in pairs, one on either side of the run 40a v manufactured past the of the chain 40, as best seen in FIG. 6. For each pair of.

the rollers 47, one roller supports a female portion of a split jamb and the other roller supports the male member. Adjacent the stapling station 34, still referring to FlG. 6, the rollers 47 are arranged at a closer spacing, and these rollers are all mounted on apair of upstanding flanges 49 which extend through the stapling station 34. The more narrow spacing of the rollers 47 adjacent the stapling station 34 is to facilitate the forming of headers, as will be more fully explained below.

Turning now to the stapling station 34, a pair of upstanding frame membersSO are secured to the main frame 37, and located between them is a pneumatic cylinder and piston rod unit 51 having its cylinder rigidly secured to the frame 37. The rod end of the cylinder and piston rod unit 51 is secured to a cantilevered brace generally designated by reference numeral 52, and the cylinder and piston rod unit 5 1 is provided to adjust the height of the brace 52 relative to the bed 39 to accommodate doors of different width since the doors, as already mentioned, are fed through meow 0327 I There are secured to either side of the bed 39 four upright fingers 53, and they are spaced outwardly of the rollers 47to define an elongated slot for receiving and holding the lower trim pieces on either side of the hinge jamb. The fingers 53 are arranged with a base so that these trim pieces may extend below the upper surface of the rollers 47 which support the hinge jamb.

Turning now to FIGS. 7 and 8, there is shown adjacent the brace 52 an upper clamping mechanism generally designated by reference numeralSS and including first and second rigid subframe members 56 and 57. Subframe member 56 is secured to the vertical frame members 50 by means of a leftward-extending extension 56a (FIG. A). Movable subframe members 57 are slidably secured to the rigid subframe members 56 by means of conventional dovetail machine ways, and the movable subframe members 57 are adjustable inwardly and outwardly to clamp upper trim pieces to the latch jamb by means of a pneumatic cylinder and piston rod unit 58having its rod 59 connected to a cross plate 60 secured to the'distal ends of the movable subframe members 57. The cross plate 60 is limited in its outward motion by means of the brace 52.

A block 61 is mounted to the underside of each of the rigid subframe members 56 (only one beingshown in FIG. 7), and on each of the blocks 61 there is secured a roller 62 mounted for rotation about avertical axis and adapted to engage an upper trim piece, such as the one shown in chain line in FIG. 7 and designated by reference numeral 24 when the clamping mechanism 55 is actuated. Also secured to the member 56 are a dog 63 and an upper spring-biased roller 64. The dog 63 has a lower lip 65 for supporting the trim piece 24 which is held in place by the downward force of the roller 64 against the action of the spring, the roller 64 being adapted for rotation about a horizontal axis parallel to the direction of elongation of the fixed subframe member 56.

A second roller 62A similar to the roller 62 is secured to the inner side of the cross plate 60, and it is adapted to engage the trim piece 21 (shown in chain line) when the clamping mechanism 55 is actuated.

Turning now to FIG. 8, a dog 66 having a lip 67 is mounted to the inner surface of the cross plate 60 and adapted to support the trim member 21 which is held in place by means of a roller 67a similar to the previously described roller 64 which is mounted to a crank arm 68 which is resiliently biased downwardly by means of a spring, not shown. The crank arm 68 is carried by the movable subframe member 57; whereas the corresponding spring biased roller 64 for the trim piece 24 is carried by the rigid subframe 56.

Still referring to FIG. 8, extending inwardly of the brace 52 is a bar 70 which rotatably supports a roller 71 for rotation about a horizontal axis transverse of the direction of movement of the door and adapted to support the male portion 17 of the latch jamb. A similar roller 72 held by means of a bar 74 mounted to the cross frame 56a is adapted to secure the door 10 and hold it against the stop of the female portion of the latch jamb 13 when the clamping mechanism is closed, as illustrated in FIG. 8. As seen there, when the cylinder and piston rod unit 58 is contracted, the cross plate 60 and its associated movable subframe members 57 are moved inwardly carrying the trim piece 21 into contact with the male portion of the latch jamb 17 to exert pressure thereagainst. A sensing switch generally designated by reference numeral 75 includes a downwardly-depending finger 76 adapted to engage the upper surface of the female portion of the jamb 13 when it is in place, thus closing the switch 75 and acting as a safety feature to inhibit the actuation of any of the stapling guns unless the latch jam is in place. i

Referring back to FIG. 7, integral with the brace 52 is a downwardly-depending member 7 8 having first and second side rollers 79 adapted for rotation about a common horizontal axis transverse of the direction of travel of the door for hearing against the'top of the male and female portions of the latch jamb respectively for holding them in place.

Turningnow to FIG. 9 which shows the lower portion of the apparatus at the staplingstation extending to the left of the bed 39 there is a platform generally designated by reference numeral 80 andslidably supporting a carriage 81. Rollers of frusto-conical shape 82 (both are seen in FIG. 5A) are mounted on the carriage 81 for rotation about a vertical axis, and they engage the lower trim piece 20 when the carriage 81 is forced inwardly of the platform 80 by means of a pneumatic cylinder and pistonrod unit, not shown. A pair of rollers 83 and 84 are mounted to an'arm 85 for rotation abouta horizontal axis parallel to the plane of the page of FIG. 9, and the arm 85 is secured to a crank 86 (see FIG. 5A) which is, in turn, rotatably about an axis 87 extending perpendicular to the plane of the page of FIG. 5A. When the arm 86 is actuated, it rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 5A, and the larger, outer roller 83 engages the top of the trim piece 20 to force it downwardly; whereas the inner, smaller diameter roller 84 engages the upper surface of the male portion 12 of the hinge jamb for holding it against the support rollers 47 which have already been described. In the sequence of operation, first the rollers 82 force the trim piece 20 against the male portion 12 of the hinge jamb, and then the rollers 83 and 84 are brought downwardly, it will be observed. that the roller 83 defines the relief 27 between the trim piece 20 and the male portion 12 of the hinge jamb.

Turning now to the right side of FIG. 9, a pair of rollers 86a (only one of which is seen in FIG. 9) are secured to a movable carriage 87 which is movable relative to the bed 39 by means of a cylinder and piston rod unit for engaging the trim piece 23 when the cylinder and piston rod unit is actuated for forcing it into the female portion 13 of the hinge jamb.

A third roller designated 88 and similar to the roller 83 is mounted to an arm 99 which is attached to a crank 99a which is actuatable in a manner similar to the previously-described crank 86 for holding the trim piece 23 down. The rollers 83, 84 and 88 are movable to an upper position by means of their associated crank arms during movement of the door assembly through the machine so as to avoid bumping into the hinges, and the set of rollers 83, 84 is interchangeable with the roller'88, and this interchange is required to accommodate the machine to left-hand opening and righthand opening doors. That is, the hinge jamb is always placed in the lower position supported by the rollers 47 and the top or head of the door is always the first portion into the stapling station. The door assembly shown in the drawing is a right-hand opening door; and for left-hand opening doors the female and male portions of the split jambs are interchanged, and the door would be to the left of the center stop of the female portion of the jamb, as viewed in FIG. 9. 7

There are preferably six staple guns which are automatically actuated while processing a door assembly, together with one hand-actuated staple gun for securing a header to the door assembly prior to operation of the machine, as will be discussed presently. Four of the stapling guns are used for permanently securing the four side trim peices to their associated jamb members, and the other two stapling guns .are used respectively for temporarily securing the female and male portions of the split jamb together and for temporarily securing the latch edge of thedoor to the jamb so that the jamb does not come apart nor the door open during. shipment.

Turning to FIG. A, the two temporary stapling guns are generally designated by reference numerals 90 and 91 respectively, and they, as well as the other stapling guns, are of a commercially available type in which the staples areheld in a magazine and the mechanism for shooting the staples into the wood is pneumatically energized. The staplinggun 90-is mounted onto'an angle iron 93, and it is adjustable for movement laterally of the door for accommodating left-hand and right-hand opening doors. The gun 90 shoots a staple through the female portion 13 of the split jamb and into the latch edge of the door 10. as illustrated by reference numeral 95 in FIG. 8 to temporarily hold the door in a closed position for packaging and shipment. Only one such staple is normally used per assembly. The staple gun 91 is secured tothe vertical frame 34 and itshoots two or three temporary staples per assembly' to hold the male and female portions of the latch jamb together for packaging and shipping. The male and female portions of the hinge jamb are held together by similar temporary staples which are fired in place by a hand gun prior to installing the assembly in the latch jamb. These guns are mounted in opposing relation as schematically designated by reference numeral 99 in FIG. 5A.

In operating the machine, the operator first places the two side trim pieces 20 and 23 supported by the members 53 and butted against the end plate 44 which defines a lower aperture 44a for permitting the foot 45 to travel therethrough. At this time, all of the movable carriages carrying the pressure rollers and staple guns are in an expanded state. Next, the operator places the two upper trim pieces 21 and 24 into place as illustrated in FIG. 7 held respectively by their associated support dogs and spring-biased upper rollers. These upper trim pieces will beheld in place without further support.

Next, the door and hinge jamb (with one temporary staple holding the hinge jamb together) are placed on the bed of the machine, supported by the idler rollers 47. Finally, the upper latch jamb is placed inv position on the door which is held in a vertical plane with its head extending towardthe stapling station 34. All of the parts are butted against the end plate 44 for proper relative placement.

Next, the operator actuates a pneumatic cylinder and piston rod unit for forcing the movable carriage 81 inwardly so that the pressure rollers 82 bear against the trim piece 20. At the same time. the movable carriage 87 is forced in opposing relation to the movable carriage 81 to force the pressure rollers-86a against the trim piece 23, and the upper clamping mechanism 55 is actuated by'means of the cylinder and piston rod unit 58 to pull the subframes 57 inwardlyand force the pressure rollers 65 against the trim piece 21. This latter action, of course, forces the male and female portions v of the latch jamb together and also forces the trim viewed in FIG. 5A, stopping periodically to shoot the staples,'as will now be described. When the rollers 62, 64, 65 and 67 are driven into clamping relation with their associated pieces, these pieces (namely17, 18, 21 and 24) are urged into frictional engagement with the door as held by the roller 73 (FIG. 8). Thus, all of these pieces are moved with the door through this frictional contact, aided subsequently by the temporary staples.

Turning to FIGS. 17a and 17b, there are shown in schematic form the mechanisms which trigger the shooting of the staples. Referring first to FIG. 170, the chain 40 is shown diagrammatically with the foot 45 in the extreme left position. There are three lugs secured to one side of the chain, and these are designated respectively 100, 101 and 102. Associated with these three. lugs are four limit switches designated respectively 100a, 101a, 101b and 102a, all of which are suitably mounted to the bed of the machine. After the machine is actuated, the chain 40 is driven in the direction of the arrow 103, and the lug 100, when it arrives at the position of the limit switch 100a, causescontacts to close which energize the temporary stapling guns and 91 which, as already mentioned, shoot a first temporary staple to hold the latch edge of the door to its associated jamb and to temporarily secure the male and female portions of the latch jamb together.

The switch a also de-energizes the drive motor, the firing guns 90 and 91, and a short time delay automatically re-starts the motor after firing. The lug 101 actuates both the limit switches 101a and 101b, but it actuates the first switch moving from right to left and the second switch (101b) moving from left to right. In moving from right to left (which is the forward direction of door movement) the lug 101 trips the switch 101a to reverse the drive motor and release of the mechanism which clamp the door frame assembly.

When the lug 101 (then passing to the'right in FIG. 17a) trips the switch 101b, a clamp is actuated for holding the door at the packaging station, as will be made clear presently. When the foot 45 is returned to its original position at the extreme left end of travel, the lug 102 tripsthe switch 102a to shut the machine down.

Turning now to FIG. 17b, a similar set of lugs are positioned on the other side of the chain 40, and these lugs include a first set designated by reference numeral 105 and a second set designated 106. The lugs 105 are set to actuate a limit switch 105a which fires the four other'staple guns for driving permanent staples into the four side trim pieces to secure them to their associated jamb members. As seen in the illustrated embodiment, nine such staples are driven into the trim pieces on each side. The limit switch 105a also de-energizes the drive motor, and after a short time delay leaving time for the firing of the staple guns, the drive motor is again started up. The three lugs 106 travelling with the chain 40 trip a limit switch 106a for raising the trim pressure rollers 83, 84 and 88 in FIG. 9 for passing over the hinges. Thus, no further accommodation is needed in this respect for processing either left-hand opening or right-hand opening doors. I I

Prior to actuating the machine, the operator secures a pre-formed header as shown in FIG. 19 including two side trim pieces (corresponding to the pieces 22 and 25 in FIG. 2) together with their associated male and female jamb members into the mitered corners, and staples secure the jamb pieces together.

Thus, as the door is run through the machine, it is stopped periodically by means of the lugs hitting their associated limit switches to fire the staple guns. Lugs that stop the motor also energize the guns, and the mechanism is started up again after a short time delay. The door, after it has been fully transported to the right of the machine will be in the packaging station 35, carried by a continuation of the same conveyor. The cartoning station includes a U-shaped channel member 112 which receives the header of the door, and it includes a coil spring 113 for smoothly bringingthe travelling door to a stop. The U-shaped member 112 is mounted on a block 114 which, in turn, is slidably mounted on a vertical frame 115 attached at its bottom to the frame 37 of the machine. The block 114 is vertically movable by means of a cylinder and piston rod unit generally designated by reference numeral 1 16.

When the door is positioned in the cartoning station, the lower edge of the door and jamb assembly are positioned between upright U-shaped channel members 117 and 118 which are secured to the bed of the machine.

At the left end of the cartoning station 35 there is located a clamp generally designated by reference numeral 120 and including a gate 121 (see FIG. 10) which is rotatable about a vertical axis by means of a cylinder and piston rod unit 122 in the direction of the arrows of FIG. 10 to clamp the door solidly against the spring 113 in the stop member 112. The cylinder and piston rod unit 112 is actuated by the return of the lug 101 in tripping the limit switch llb of FIG. 17A. The clamp 120 is vertically movable along a shaft 125 by means of a cylinder and piston rod unit 126 (see FIG. B). A vertical standard 129 is mounted on the frame 37, and at its top it has an inverted U-shaped trough 130 for receiving the door and frame assembly, as will be presently described.

Turning now to FIG. 12, after the door and jamb assembly is fully inserted into the packing station, the

gate 121 is closed to solidly clamp the door and jamb assembly, as previously mentioned. It will be observed that the upper trough 130 is spaced from the upper trim members to permit the insertion of a pre-creased carton 135. Next, the operator actuates the cylinder and piston rod units 116 and 126 to lift the entire door and frame assembly by means of the channel member 112 and clamp 120 to fold the carton along its crease lines and cover the upper trim pieces. This action is shown in FIG. 13 wherein the carton 135 is folded by the action of lifting the door into the three-sides shape illustrated. Next, the end portions of the carton 135 are stapled by an operator by first folding in the flaps 135a and l35b as seen in FIG. 15 and then folding down the upper flap 135C and inserting the staples 135d (see FIG. 16). Next, the operator places a similar carton designated in FIG. 13 on top of the lower U-shaped troughs 117 and 118, and he then'de-energizes the cylinder and piston rod units 116 and 126 to lower the door and frame assembly into the lower troughs 117 and 118', thereby folding the pre-creased carton 140. The end tabs of the carton 140 are then suitably stapled, as with the carton 135, and the door and frame assembly is packaged and ready for shipment.

When headers are run, there is a separate attachment fixed to the driving foot 45, and seen in perspective in FIG. 18. The header is composed of two side trim pieces and a female and a male section for the upper jam. The attachment, designated generally by reference numeral 200, has two extendible horizontal plates 201 and 202, and two vertical plates (the one shown is 203). The left edges of the vertical plates are beveled as at 204 of plate 203 to align all four edges of the header prior to running, and this has been found to be significant in saving line up time. The attachment fits over the header and the beveled edges engage the slanted edges of the trim pieces. The attachment defines a vertical surface (see 206) for permitting the lateral extension of the male and female sections of the split jamb for forming butting corners with corresponding side sections of the split jamb. When the machine is set up for use in forming headers, normally, a large number of headers will be produced at one time and the upper stapling guns will not operate due to safety switches. The temporary guns are not used at all, and only the two lower permanent guns are used in forming headers. The lug 102 is moved downstream to the position 102' in FIG. 17A to permit the foot 45 to achieve a position closer to the center of the machine and avoid excess return travel. Further, the switch 101!) is disabled since there is no need to clamp the header in the packaging station.

As a safety precaution, all staple guns are safety equipped so as not to fire unless the proper material is in correct position.

Having thus described in detail a preferred embodiment of the inventive system, persons skilled in the art will be able to modify certain of the structure which has been illustrated and to substitute equivalent elements for those which have been disclosed; and it is, therefore, intended that all such modifications and substitullmni'i man tions be covered as they are embraced within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l Apparatus for assembling pre -hung door and jamb units including a door, male and female sections of a split hinge jamb and a split latch jamb, and trimpieces for each of said sections comprising: a frame providing a support for said door and its jamb assembly; first pres sure roller means for forcing each of said trim pieces against the sides of their associated jamb sections while interlocking the sections of said jambs under said force; second roller means engaging the elongated edges of said trim pieces for aligning said trim pieces relative to their associated jamb sections in a plane parallel to the plane of said door; conveyor means for moving said door and its jamb assembly longitudinallyv while continuing to apply said pressures tosaid trim pieces and jamb sections; stapling means responsive to the location of said door in said-machine for stapling said trim pieces to their associated jamb sections at spaced locations as said conveyor means moves said door and jamb unit while exerting said lateral and said aligning pressures on said trim pieces.

2. The apparatus of claim I wherein said first pressure roller means comprises holder meansfor receiving each of said trim pieces adjacent theirassociated jamb section of said unit and means for selectively raising and lowering said door and jamb assembly in said clamping means, whereby a pre-creasedcarton placed between said unit and said upper trough means will cause said carton 'to be creased about said upper jamb section when said door is raised, and a similar preing the operation of said stapling means unless the door and jamb unit is positioned within said pressure roller means.

8. A system for assembling pre-hung door and jamb units including a door, interlocking male and female sections, lateral pressure rollers rotatable about an axis extending parallel to the plane of said door and perpendicular to the direction of elongation of said trim pieces, said lateral pressure rollers being actuatable to force their associated trim pieces into contact under pressure with said jamb sections while permitting the door and jamb unit to be moved longitudinally.

3. The apparatus of claim 1v wherein said frame includes a bed adapted to receive said door and jamb units in series, each unit lying on a side jamb, said door extending in a vertical plane with its direction of elongation in the horizontal, and further comprising end plate means adjacent said bed and extending transverse of the foot of said door for aligning said jamb members with the base of said door.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising staple driving means for releasably fastening the male and female sections of the split latch jamb togetherwhen said door reaches a predetermined position relative to said frame.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising staple driving means for releasably securing the latch edge of said door to its associated split jamb when said door and jamb assembly reaches a predetermined position relative to said frame.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising cartoning means adjacent said stapling means and including a continuation of saidconveyor means for receiving a door and frame unit passing through said stapling means and for clamping said door and jamb assembly at its top and bottom in response to the placement of a door at said cartoning station, an upper trough adapted to fit over one side jamb section of said unit, a lower trough means adapted to receive the opposite side jamb sections of a split hinge jamb and a split latch jamb, and face trim pieces for each of said sections comprising: a frame providing a bed elongated in a horizontal direction and adapted to receive and slidably support a first of said split jambs and said door with said door lying on one side and extending in a vertical plane; first trim support means on each side of said bed for-"slidably holding first and second trim pieces in alignment with associated sections of the lower jamb; lower forcing means for forcing said first trim support means to clamp said first and second trim pieces against their associated jamb sections under pressure to cause the sections of said first jamb to interlock; upper clamping means above said-bed and arranged adjacent the upper side of a door and jamb unit resting on said bed and including second trim support means on each side of said door for holding third and fourth trim pieces in alignment will associated upper sections of said second jamb when it is placed on the upper side of said door, said clamping means further including means for moving said second trim support means to clamp said third and fourth trim pieces against their associated jamb sections under pressure to cause the jamb sections to interlock; conveyor means for causing said door and jamb unit to move longitudinally of said bed through said upper and lower clamping means while said ciamping means continues to exert said pressure; and stapling means adjacent said upper and lower clamping means for fastening all of said trim pieces to their associated jamb sections at spaced locations as said door and jamb units are moved therethrough, said fastening occuring while said pressures are exerted by said upper and lower clamping means.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising second staple driving means for removably driving a staple through the female portion of the upper jamb to secure the door in place.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising third staple driving means for removably driving a staple through the male and female portions of the upper jamb to hold them together. 

1. Apparatus for assembling pre-hung door and jamb units including a door, male and female sections of a split hinge jamb and a split latch jamb, and trim pieces for each of said sections comprising: a frame providing a support for said door and its jamb assembly; first pressure roller means for forcing each of said trim pieces against the sides of their associated jamb sections while interlocking the sections of said jambs under said force; second roller means engaging the elongated edges of said trim pieces for aligning said trim pieces relative to their associated jamb sections in a plane parallel to the plane of said door; conveyor means for moving said door and its jamb assembly longitudinally while continuing to apply said pressures to said trim pieces and jamb sections; stapling means responsive to the lOcation of said door in said machine for stapling said trim pieces to their associated jamb sections at spaced locations as said conveyor means moves said door and jamb unit while exerting said lateral and said aligning pressures on said trim pieces.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first pressure roller means comprises holder means for receiving each of said trim pieces adjacent their associated jamb sections, lateral pressure rollers rotatable about an axis extending parallel to the plane of said door and perpendicular to the direction of elongation of said trim pieces, said lateral pressure rollers being actuatable to force their associated trim pieces into contact under pressure with said jamb sections while permitting the door and jamb unit to be moved longitudinally.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said frame includes a bed adapted to receive said door and jamb units in series, each unit lying on a side jamb, said door extending in a vertical plane with its direction of elongation in the horizontal, and further comprising end plate means adjacent said bed and extending transverse of the foot of said door for aligning said jamb members with the base of said door.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising staple driving means for releasably fastening the male and female sections of the split latch jamb together when said door reaches a predetermined position relative to said frame.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising staple driving means for releasably securing the latch edge of said door to its associated split jamb when said door and jamb assembly reaches a predetermined position relative to said frame.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising cartoning means adjacent said stapling means and including a continuation of said conveyor means for receiving a door and frame unit passing through said stapling means and for clamping said door and jamb assembly at its top and bottom in response to the placement of a door at said cartoning station, an upper trough adapted to fit over one side jamb section of said unit, a lower trough means adapted to receive the opposite side jamb section of said unit and means for selectively raising and lowering said door and jamb assembly in said clamping means, whereby a pre-creased carton placed between said unit and said upper trough means will cause said carton to be creased about said upper jamb section when said door is raised, and a similar pre-creased carton section inserted between said door and jamb unit and said lower trough means when door is in said raised condition will be creased and folded about said lower jamb section when said door is again lowered.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising sensing means adjacent said stapling means for sensing the position of a door and jamb unit therein for inhibiting the operation of said stapling means unless the door and jamb unit is positioned within said pressure roller means.
 8. A system for assembling pre-hung door and jamb units including a door, interlocking male and female sections of a split hinge jamb and a split latch jamb, and face trim pieces for each of said sections comprising: a frame providing a bed elongated in a horizontal direction and adapted to receive and slidably support a first of said split jambs and said door with said door lying on one side and extending in a vertical plane; first trim support means on each side of said bed for slidably holding first and second trim pieces in alignment with associated sections of the lower jamb; lower forcing means for forcing said first trim support means to clamp said first and second trim pieces against their associated jamb sections under pressure to cause the sections of said first jamb to interlock; upper clamping means above said bed and arranged adjacent the upper side of a door and jamb unit resting on said bed and including second trim support means on each side of said door for holding third and fourth trim pieces in alignment will associated upper Sections of said second jamb when it is placed on the upper side of said door, said clamping means further including means for moving said second trim support means to clamp said third and fourth trim pieces against their associated jamb sections under pressure to cause the jamb sections to interlock; conveyor means for causing said door and jamb unit to move longitudinally of said bed through said upper and lower clamping means while said clamping means continues to exert said pressure; and stapling means adjacent said upper and lower clamping means for fastening all of said trim pieces to their associated jamb sections at spaced locations as said door and jamb units are moved therethrough, said fastening occuring while said pressures are exerted by said upper and lower clamping means.
 9. The system of claim 8 further comprising second staple driving means for removably driving a staple through the female portion of the upper jamb to secure the door in place.
 10. The system of claim 9 further comprising third staple driving means for removably driving a staple through the male and female portions of the upper jamb to hold them together. 